Former prime minister Jean Chrétien is predicting a Liberal majority victory on Monday as federal party leaders make their final push through key battleground ridings in Ontario and British Columbia.
At a rally for Ottawa Centre Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi, Chrétien told an enthusiastic crowd he expects to celebrate “the majority government of the Liberal party” after polls close. “Monday is going to be a Liberal sunshine,” said Chrétien, drawing cheers from supporters.
Recent polls suggest the Liberals under Mark Carney maintain a slim lead over the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre. The Conservative campaign has leaned heavily on former prime minister Stephen Harper, who appeared in TV ads airing prominently during NHL playoff broadcasts to boost Poilievre’s message.
Chrétien, now 91, remains a revered figure within the Liberal Party, having led three majority governments between 1993 and 2003. He has been active in the final days of the campaign, making appearances in ridings such as Burlington, Oakville, and Ottawa. Speaking to the patriotic mood sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent actions, Chrétien joked that Trump had united Canadians more than any politician. “We have never been so united,” he said. “We should say thank you to Mr. Trump,” adding humorously that Trump would probably not qualify for the Order of Canada because of his criminal record.
Mark Carney continued campaigning across crucial ridings in the Greater Toronto Area and Windsor on Saturday, hammering home his main theme: resisting Trump’s pressure and strengthening Canada’s independence. “President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us — and that will never happen,” Carney declared to a large crowd at Seneca Polytechnic’s King City campus. He vowed that a united Canada would “win this trade war” and build “the strongest economy in the G7,” highlighting a vision where Canada becomes an energy superpower with diverse global trade relationships and affordable housing.
Carney also rejected Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet’s recent comments that Canada is “an artificial country,” calling Canada “an incredible country” and urging Canadians to rally around unity rather than division.
Poilievre, campaigning Saturday in British Columbia, struck back online, calling Carney’s remarks “insulting and false,” pledging to defend Canada’s sovereignty and proud history if elected. At a rally in Delta, B.C., Poilievre promised to crack down on offshore tax havens and accused Carney of hypocrisy, claiming Carney benefited from moving money abroad while imposing higher costs on Canadians.
In B.C., many ridings are expected to be close contests between the Liberals and Conservatives, with the NDP trailing behind. Conservative supporters at Poilievre’s rallies expressed optimism that momentum is on their side, despite what national polls suggest.
Meanwhile, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh campaigned in Southwestern Ontario, hoping to retain the few seats his party won in 2021. Singh urged voters to remember the New Democrats’ historic role in building Canada’s social programs. He rallied with autoworkers in Windsor, warning against U.S. tariffs threatening Canadian manufacturing jobs, and called for stronger protections to prevent taxpayer-supported companies from relocating to the United States.
Singh was also scheduled to attend a Filipino community celebration in Vancouver and an Eid dinner in Burnaby later on Saturday as part of his final appeal to multicultural communities.
As the final hours of campaigning wind down, party leaders are locked in a fierce battle for voter turnout, hoping their ground game will tip the scales in a race that remains competitive until the very end.